It comes after the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which distributes grants to higher education institutes across the UK, announced that universities and colleges would be getting £590m less in the next academic year than they did this year.

In a speech in the House of Lords, the Rt Rev Tim Dakin, spokesman for the Church of England on higher education, said that threats to university funding could limit access for some students and reduce social mobility, as many universities will have to make up for reduced funding with higher tuition fees.

He said: “The Government’s intentions for higher education are a concern.

“If we wish to build on improvements in education, we need to invest in the public good of higher education.”